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Bearing Point Awarded GSA ID Card Contract GSA works in concert with DHS to develop card

Bearing Point Awarded GSA ID Card Contract GSA works in concert with DHS to develop card

Washington, DC—The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) awarded a task order under GSA's governmentwide Smart Access Common ID Contract to BearingPoint, LLC in McLean, VA, to provide new identification cards for 14,000 GSA associates nationwide.

The GSA task order, valued at $1.35 million, was awarded to BearingPoint, one of four prime vendors under GSA's multiple-award indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract to develop smart card products and services. In addition to providing the new identification cards for all GSA associates, BearingPoint will provide entrance readers and visitors identification validation systems at selected facilities across the country. The contract will eventually be expanded to include identification cards for all contractors working at GSA facilities nationwide.

GSA coordinated with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in the development of the new GSA identification card. The new identification cards will meet the governmentwide interoperability standards. They are expected to be in the hands of GSA associates nationwide the beginning of 2004.

The identification cards will be used to control access to buildings. The card will contain the identifying information about the cardholder on a microchip, such as personal pin number and biometic fingerprint data, and it will employ the latest smart card technologies as well as anti-counterfeit protection such as holographs and micro printing.

Stephen Perry, the Administrator of General Services, stated, "President Bush has tasked both GSA and the Department of Homeland Security to work together to ensure the safety of people who visit and work in federal buildings. The deployment of smart card technology is a significant step forward in doing so. I am certain that by upgrading our access systems, we will improve the security environment not only for the federal community, but also for visitors to our facilities everyday."

GSA is a centralized federal procurement and property management agency created by Congress to improve government efficiency and help federal agencies better serve the public. It acquires, on behalf of federal agencies, office space, equipment, telecommunications, information technology, supplies, and services. GSA, comprised of 14,000 associates, provides services and solutions for the office operations of over 1 million federal workers located in 8,000 government-owned and leased buildings in 2000 U.S. communities.